331 



that is a term ex|)ressing too much ardor in so meritorious a cause — but sufficient 

 feeling has on several occasions been raised, to hold a Meeting, and perhaps 

 adopt a Constitution and elect Officers under it. 



Those Officers, with some honorable exceptions, have generally been men whose 

 praiseworthy effi)rts ceased, and their enthusiasm died away with the adjournment 

 of che primary meetings, and whose purse-strings were drawn too tight to allow 

 them to give any practical aid to the Society, by the payment of the trifling 

 amount necessary to constitute them actual members. Such, I am convinced 

 from observation, has been the character of a majority of those to whom the 

 aflairs of the several Societies have been entrusted ; and with such a head, it is 

 unreasonable to suppose that the body could grow and thrive. With such men 

 for a motive-power to any important enterprise, it must prove a failure, such has 

 been the case with each and every attempt to organize and put in successful 

 / operation a State Agricultural Society in Wisconsin, until 1851. That effort has 

 been eminently successful ; and, under the circumstances, the Society may, with 

 truth, be termed a prodigy. 



. But I am digressing from the subject of this communication. Having been 

 identified as Secretary with one of those abortive attempts to organize a State 

 Agricultural Society, of which I have been speaking, I have prepared a synopsis 

 of the proceedings of the primary meetings, accompanied by the Constitution and 

 the Officers of the Society. The cause of its failure, I believe, I have truly set 

 forth in my foregoing remarks ; and I have only to add, that no meeting of the 

 Executive Committee was ever held — and although a correspondence was opened 

 with the respective member's by the Secretary, no response was ever received. 

 The consequence was, no fund was raised, no Fair held, and the Annual Meeting 

 passed by unattended. Thus ended the " spasm" of 1849. 



I have also prepared a list of all those who became bona fide members of that 

 Society, which are also herewith submitted. 



In justice to those gentlemen, I beg leave here to state, that the small fund 

 raisal by the payment of their initiation fee, after deducting some trifling expenses 

 of printing, &c., has been passed over to the Treasury of the present prosperous 

 Society. 



With my best wishes for the triumphant success of the Society, of which you 



have the honor to be Secretary, 



I remain, Sir, 



Your most obedient Servant, 



ROYAL BUCK. 

 To Albert C. Ingham, Esq, 



Sec. of the Wis. State Agr. Society, 



